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Variety in Human Sexuality A Cross Cultural View  Sexual attitudes and behavior vary from culture to culture.  There is also variety in sexual behavior within the same culture. Sexual Standards in the U.S.  Sexual attitudes refer to how accepting people are of sexual activity, either for themselves or for others.  Sexual behavior is very sensitive and therefore information about it is not always easy to get.

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Prostitution  sexual activity in exchange for money or goods, in which the primary motivation for the prostitute is neither sexual or affectional.  Categories of prostitutes range from streetwalkers to call girls to male prostitutes. Prostitutes earn a wage of roughly $25-$30 an hour, and work roughly 13 hours a week. Precise numbers on the incidence of prostitution are impossible to obtain.

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This chart shows the alarming relationship between prostitution and rape, and physical violence. Other statistics from the “Prostitution Statistics” Document uploaded in Document Sharing.

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Arguments For Legalizing Prostitution Those that favor legalizing prostitution argue that it is a “victimless crime” and that what goes on between consenting adults in private should not be a matter for law enforcement. Legalizing prostitution gives sex workers rights they wouldn't have otherwise and offers prostitutes regular STD tests and pelvic exams, without fear of being turned in. Prevents prostitution from falling under the control of organized crime. Can generate tax revenue and contribute to the economy

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Possible Economic Policies Place a tax on the number of transactions on both the supplier and demander Require prostitutes to pay a monthly licensing fee Require prostitutes to pay for monthly VD inspections Place the tax burden on the consumers (i.e., higher tax to “use” this service)

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Arguments Against Legalizing Prostitution Legalizing prostitution does not stop the health and crime problems associated with prostitution Legalized prostitution does create victims: the prostitutes themselves Prostitution contributes to high crime rates, rates that would only increase if prostitution were legalized Many opponents believe sex work is amoral and will lead to the downfall of American morality.

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Who Becomes a Prostitute? An important step in becoming a prostitute is knowing others who are involved in the trade. The majority of female prostitutes are between 17 and 24 years of age who often have had early and frequent promiscuous sexual experiences. Male prostitutes tend to come from either a peer-delinquent subculture or the gay subculture. Leaving prostitution can be difficult.

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Pornography Pornography describes “sexually ‘explicit’ writings, still or motion pictures and similar products designed to be sexually arousing.”  Tremendous controversy surrounds what is and what is not pornographic and what, if anything, should be censored.  Debates also exist as to whether there is a link between pornographic materials and violence.

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Pornography & the Law Material must meet 3 conditions established by the U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. California (1973) to be considered obscene. 1. The average person applying community standards considers the material as a whole to appeal to prurient interests. 2. The material depicts sexual conduct, specifically defined by state or federal law, in a patently offensive way. 3. The work lacks serious artistic, literary, political or scientific value.

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Future Prospects Social policy regarding many forms of sexual behavior remains highly controversial. Disapproval of various forms of sexual behavior tends to be greater when force is involved, or when one partner is not an adult. Research fails to show that prostitution and pornography, in and of themselves, are detrimental to society. Problems arise from the hostile reactions that some groups have toward these forms of sexual expression.

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Prostitute Diversion Initiative Conducted in Dallas, TX 2007-2008 Conventional approaches to enforcement had little impact on prostitution and have been a constant drain on manpower and resources from both the Dallas Police Department and the criminal justice system Instead of viewing prostitutes as criminals, the Dallas Police Department would approach them as victims, bringing resources and services from a large cross section of organizations into the streets where the prostitutes work.

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Discussions “A social condition is a social problem when an influential group defines it as threatening its values, when the condition affects a large number of people, and when it can be remedied by collective action.” (Sullivan, 2009, Chapter 1) Do you think pornography is a social problem? Why or why not? What about prostitution?